Hawaii Girl Scout selected to have essay taken to space

HONOLULU (KHON) — A Hawaii third-grader and Girl Scout wrote an essay that is literally out of this world.

Laurel S. took part in the first-ever “Making Space for Girls Challenge.” Her essay — out of 700 entries — was one of 21 submissions picked to be included in a journey to the International Space Station.

“To do the essay, I thought about the stuff we could do in the future and what I think would be nice to have,” the Girl Scout Brownie from Troop 861 said. “It makes me feel like the essay was special, so they chose it for its creativity.”

Laurel’s submission included an essay and a Zoom interview. The topic? What space travel will be like in 10 years.

“My space dream is to take a car ship to Mars,” Laurel said.

“We might also build an elevator into space. If we do, it will have to have bathrooms, beds, a kitchen, and a TV. This is because the elevator will take 10 days to get into outer space.”

“I think it’s like a different dimension out there with other things that we can discover like new planets and new maybe sources of life.”

Latest News

The mission of the Girl Scouts is to build girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place. “80% of all female tech leaders, business tech leaders, were Girl Scouts,” said Shari Chang, CEO of Girl Scouts of Hawaii.

“Over 92% of every female astronaut was a Girl Scout. 100% of all female Secretaries of State were Girl Scouts. It’s a program that really provides girls with an opportunity to learn how to lead and become better leaders for their communities,” Chang said.

Selected items will go to space in the SpaceX Mission 23, scheduled to launch in August 2021, from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. All items will be returned once they are back on Earth and processed by NASA as “Certified flown in space.”

The Girls Scouts of Hawaii also plans to open their new “STEM Center for Excellence” in Paumalū in August.